Merry Christmas & New Year

The North Borneo Herald wishes all its readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2012.

One Malaysia Not Merely A Slogan

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has clarified that his 1Malaysia policy is not merely a slogan but a philosophy.

With his statement it is hoped that those who seek to undermine the PM's 1Malaysia should wake up and toe the line, especially right wing extremist who have been making insensitive comments against non-Malays and non-Muslims in this country.

Libyan Dictator Ghaddafi Dies

Libyan dictator Muammar Ghaddafi who ruled the country for 42 years died yesterday. Ghaddafi died in a gunfight in the town of Sirte between his loyal bodyguards and rebels who have taken over the country.

Ghaddafi and his bodyguards were in a convoy of army vehicles when they were attacked from air by NATO forces. Ghaddafi and his men then took cover in a drain beside the road.

Soon, Libyan rebels found them and asked them to surrender. Ghaddafi refused and his men opened fire. The rebels won the battle and Ghaddafi was taken prisoner. He later died of the wounds sustained in the gunfight.

Ghaddafi came to power in 1969 in a coup. He discarded the constitution and ruled with an iron fist.

Zealots To Rally Against A Non-Issue

A radical Muslim organization based in Malaya known as Muslim Organizations Group (HIMPUN) is to launch a massive rally against so-called proselytizing of non-Muslim religions to Muslims.

The basis of the rally itself in the first place is weak. The proselytizing of Islam to non-Muslims is done on large scale from the day non-Muslim children attend primary school. Children are made to hear Islamic prayers daily. Islamic values are disseminated directly or indirectly on a daily basis. History syllabuses are mostly on Islamic religion and its history.

Studying Islam is compulsory even for non-Muslim students at the tertiary level.

Television, radio and newspapers talk about the beauty of Islam and it is not unusual to see, read or hear interviews of non-Muslims who convert to Islam in the mainstream media.

Then there are also bookstores openly selling books which ridicule or criticise other religions with Christianity being the usual target.

Non-Muslim civil servants seldom enjoy the promotions like their Muslim counterparts and this actually entices some non-Muslims to convert to Islam for fast-track promotions.

Non-Muslims who convert to Islam are paid cash in the guise of "wang bantuan muallaf" which is a big pull factor for large non-Muslim families who are poor.

Conversion to Islam is also a pre-condition for non-Muslims who wish to marry Muslims.

On the other hand, proselytizing to Muslims by other religions is a crime in many Malaysian states though the laws are still hazy. The Islamic religious police can storm any non-Islamic place of worship if there is even a rumour about Muslims converting out of Islam.

Muslims who convert out of Islam are unconstitutionally detained in many states like the case of Kamariah Ali of Kelantan and Revathi Masoosai of Malacca.

Muslim civil servants who convert out of Islam also face the prospect of discplinary action.

Non-Muslim places of worship depend on public donations for maintenance and non-Muslim organizations do not have the financial prowess of Islamic authorities nor the government's backing.

Non-Muslim religious programmes are not allowed on all national broadcasts and neither are non-Muslims allowed to say religious prayers in conjunction with their religious holidays on television or radio.

Therefore HIMPUN's rally is mind-boggling. If anything this can easily be misconstrued as a rally against non-Muslims, in particularly Christians.

It is a known fact that there is a growing anti-Christian sentiment in Malaysia ever since the opposition won five states in the 2008 elections. The burning of churches, attempts to ban the Malay Bible despite having been used since pre-independence days, storming church halls during functions despite not having enough evidence to charge attendees and the government's continued tolerance of some of these acts may be testament to this.

After all it is a known fact that the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) had lost significant Malay Muslim votes in 2008, and religion is an issue which could easily attract the Malays.

With the 13th general elections coming soon, a massive rally against so-called "Christianization" could be the atom bomb against political enemies of UMNO.

But what is fearful is the effect it will have on the Christian population in Malaysia. The fact that Christian leaders in Sabah has kept quiet for so long is disheartening and it is only hoped that such ill-feelings towards other religions do not reach Sabahan shores.

Council Threatens To Demolish Church

A chapel belonging to an Orang Asli community in Machap Umboo, Malacca has been threatened with demolition.

The Alor Gajah Municipal Council has issued a notice to the chapel to remove the structure or face demolition. The council claims the chapel was illegally built.

The Orang Asli are the indigenous people of Malaya. The Machap Umboo settlement is home to some 11 Orang Asli families. The chapel also caters to Orang Asli Christians from nearby settlements.

If the church is demolished it would not be the first Orang Asli church to be demolished by the authorities in Malaya.

In 2005, an Orang Asli church in Johore was demolished for the same reason.

Army Veteran Conferred Award

Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) on September 24th reported that Sarawakian army veteran Kanang Langkau has been awarded the "Panglima Gemilang Bintang Kenyalang" award by the Governor of Sarawak which carries the title "Datuk".

Datuk Temenggong Kanang Langkau fought against communist insurgents in the 1970s and 1980s.

Army Veteran Dragged Into Political Game

Famous Sarawakian army veteran Kanang a/k Langkau made a comment against the Youth Chief of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) on August 28th. He apparently made the remark in the Malayan Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia against Mohammad Sabu to the extent of saying Sabu is useless.

Kanang as a respected army veteran should know better than to meddle in politics. The fact that his statement was made in the United Malays National Organization's (UMNO) mouthpiece speaks volumes of this person.

Kanang has made a statement in a pro-UMNO newspaper against the opponents of UMNO. Kanang should remember that despite his dislike for the communist insurgents, these rebels too were fighting for what they thought was right. And these rebels too lost a lot of men in their struggle.

Therefore if anyone has a favourable opinion of these rebels, then let them have their say. He should not have said this or that person is useless because they contradict his ideas.

Whatever it was , facts remain facts, and the rebels would always be remembered as rebels while Kanang would always be remembered as a hero.

But to stick his nose in the quarrel between two political parties by allowing his credentials as a veteran to be used is most disgusting.

Kanang better keeps whatever's left of his good name while he can. Or else he will not be remembered as a hero, but a political pawn.

He should remember that all the medals and titles bestowed upon him were not meant to be used as a political weapon.

PM Najib Promises Electoral Reforms

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has promised electoral reforms in the country. This follows the recent rally by election watch-group Bersih which called for the reforms.

Najib's pledge is most welcome and may even help to turn some of his critics into his admirers. It is hoped that opposition parties will see Najib's pledge positively and contribute to it.

However whether the radical ultra-nationalists in Najib's ruling party would accept these reforms is yet to be known.

Scholar Says Christianity is "Wrong"and Christians "Want to Provoke Muslims"

According to the Malaysian Insider (July 20) a Muslim scholar speaking at a seminar at the Malaysian Institute of Muslim Understanding (IKIM) had commented on the use of the term "Allah" in the Malay-language Christian Bible. However his comments seem to charge that Christianity is wrong and that Christians wanted to provoke Muslims

The scholar, Dr.Mohd Sani Badron said "the translation of God as Allah is very wrong. It should be properly translated. We interpret not just the word, but the meaning and if the meaning is inaccurate, it is wrong. The interpretation of Allah in the Malay-language Bible carried a plural form. The term Allah was used in a godly and non-godly sense. It's use was twisted into conflicting meanings*.

On the court decision which permitted the Catholic newspaper, The Herald to continue using Allah in its Malay-language section he said "It was a provocative issue planned to stir the anger of Muslims. The court action has spread the perception that Muslims are oppressive, certainly it will raise the anger of the Muslim community"*.

First of all Mohd Sani has no right to claim another religion as being wrong. All religions worship unseen deities, so it is a matter of faith and faith should not be questioned.

Secondly, the Christian Bible clearly tells its readers that God is not plural but one. This is demonstrated in Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before Me" among others.

Thirdly, Christians have used the word Allah long before Malaysia was formed and Muslims in Borneo have no qualms about it. So the issue of the court case involving the use of Allah is not planned. If anyone planned it then it must be those who chose to restrict the freedom of Christians in the first place.

Fourthly, to say that the court action made Muslims look oppressive is Dr.Mohd Sani's own opinion. In fact it was Muslim judges who made Muslims look oppressive when they denied Lina Joy her constitutional right to officially leave Islam.

* reported by the Malaysian Insider

Demonstration for Fair Elections Draw 50,000 People

The planned demonstration by a non-governmental organization called Bersih was a success yesterday when it drew about 50,000 demonstrators. This was despite threats by the government to arrest demonstrators. Even locking up Kuala Lumpur did not prevent protestors to show up.

Bersih had initially wanted to hold a peace rally to call for clean and fair elections in Malaysia. However the federal government had been attempting to prevent the rally from day one. After much deliberation, it was agreed that Bersih could have their demonstration at Stadium Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur. However in the end even this was not allowed.

By Friday midnight, the whole city of Kuala Lumpur was locked down. Chartered buses were not allowed into the city, a list of 91 individuals were barred from entering the city, many roads were closed, hotels were combed for potential demonstrators and those wearing Bersih t-shirts were apprehended.

Surprisingly, by Saturday morning the planned rally did take place. Government figures put the number of demonstrators at 6,000, clearly as an attempt to downplay the success of Bersih. However figures from Bersih, foreign correspondence and eyewitness accounts say the number of demonstrators was anywhere around 50,000. If Kuala Lumpur had not been locked down, the number would probably be around 500,000. Also not to mention the repeated threats against the public not to attend the demonstration by the government officials.

By the end of the day, Bersih proves that many Malaysian indeed want a clean and fair elections. As has been proven from the scenarion in Sabah over the years, it is obvious that there is a lot of hanky panky, especially when illegal immigrants with genuine but fraudulently issued identity cards could vote.

Cheers for BERSIH!